A Pine Tree

Please give this a collection, please~

*Contemporary rural melodrama~ Younger-man romance means being a lovesick puppy~ There's nothing a teary-eyed little crybaby can't do.

Stubborn, hard-luck queen and official's daughter × loyal puppy and self-made rich kid

Everyone knows Fang Shuhe has a father who's a government official. He's also the second person in the village, after his father, to go to college. No matter who you ask around the neighborhood, they'll tell you he's destined for great things.

The moment he started college, matchmakers were practically trampling his doorstep flat.

Luckily, Fang Shuhe had a tagalong little brother growing up. He scared off one matchmaker, and if two came, he chased both away.

Fang Shuhe would often sigh that having a younger brother was great. Love and marriage would only get in the way of serving his country, and he was lucky his little troublemaker of a neighbor boy saved him all that hassle.

Then, with thunder crashing outside the window and that little rascal pinning him to the bed and kissing him until he could barely breathe, Fang Shuhe finally saw the light. You little brat, so this was what you'd been waiting for all along, huh...

Years later, now in his thirties and no longer in his prime, Fang Shuhe returned to his hometown. The auntie who used to be the village entrance's unofficial scout clicked her tongue in regret. The young man had no job, no money, and was in his thirties without a wife. It looked like nobody would ever want him, and he'd be a bachelor for life!

Hearing the gossip, Fang Shuhe crossed his long legs and rocked in a wicker chair. He called to Wan Zhongfeng, who was frantically busy at the stove: "They say nobody wants me, and I'll be a bachelor for life!"

Sweating profusely, Wan Zhongfeng forgot all about the fire on the stove and trotted over to Fang Shuhe like a big, fluffy dog. "They're talking nonsense! I want you! I do! They don't know how wonderful Brother Shuhe is. I'm afraid someone else will snatch you up before I can!" He excitedly kissed Fang Shuhe.

"Get back and watch the fire!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Bro, am I going to become a stumbling block on your bright path to success?" (Puppy looks aggrieved)

"Nope~ You're the flower that makes my path to success even more beautiful."

"Mm." (Puppy kisses him)

P.S. The secondary couple has a male-female romance, but not much of it. The story is all made up, so don't take it seriously.

Started writing on April 6, 2025.

The law must never, ever, ever yield to lawlessness.

Theme: Aspiring to become a pillar of the nation